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US President Trump hires Mike Pompeo instead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (AFP/ File Photo)

President Donald Trump announced a major shakeup in his Cabinet Tuesday, replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

"Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!" Trump tweeted.

Tillerson just finished a diplomatic trip to Africa, and had spoken Monday with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson about the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, and said the U.S. government is "outraged."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Trump asked Tillerson to step aside -- and an official said the president felt it was the right time to make a change, with planned diplomatic talks with North Korea and trade discussions ahead.

Tillerson, the former head of ExxonMobil, has been Trump's only secretary of state.